Obsession
by DawnMay
Summary: Hermione Granger was born on September 19, 1926. She was a Gryffindor, a half-blood, close friends with the Weasleys and the founder of Dumbledore's Army though the group falls out and Hermione has to work all alone. She, slowly and slowly, gets wrapped in Riddle's web. Will she be able to get out alive or better unharmed? Or in her desperation, will she join Riddle? Re-writing.
1. Chapter 1

**Please review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own J.K. Rowling's masterpiece**

**Kidnap**

**Summary:**** Hermione Granger was born on September 19, 1926. She was a Gryffindor, a half-blood, close friends with the Weasleys and the founder of Dumbledore's Army alongside her cousin Harry Potter and best friend Ronald Weasley. AU**

* * *

Hermione Granger lived in the suburbs of London with her father Wendell Granger who was a muggle dentist and her mother Jean Granger née Potter who was a healer at St. Mungo's.

Hermione often visited the Potter manor or the Burrow, where the Weasleys resided. She would have spent more time with her own parents if only they decided to give their work a rest and realize they have a daughter to take care of. Even though she was bitter about them not taking time out for her, she respected their views. She knew they weren't able to pay much attention to her because of the patients they were busy handling. They were both kind-hearted people and thought of other people's comfort and safety before theirs. She was proud of her parents and they were proud of her too. She was always top in her class after all.

Jean had grown up in a Pureblood family and thus never attended a muggle school. Jean knew her daughter was a witch too, when she had first burnt the kitchen table at the age of two years because of her jealousy of a little red-haired girl named Ginny, who Jean was pampering, and didn't deem it necessary for Hermione to attend a muggle school either. She had debated a lot with her husband Wendell about Hermione's education and had to agree with her husband at last. She had put a condition though, that if Hermione wished, she will not send her child to a muggle school, after all, she had to attend a witchcraft school anyway which she could only attend when she was eleven.

Wendell had said that it would be good for Hermione to know both about the Wizarding world and the Muggle world. His exact words being,

"If Hermione ever wishes to marry a normal human–" he had started in a calm voice only to be interrupted by his lovely wife.

"Wizards are normal!" Jean huffed and crossed her arms below her chest, glaring at her husband.

"All right, if she ever wished to marry a _muggle _it would be easy for her to get along with him if she at least knew the basics of the muggle world. She won't give her secret away on the very first day she meets the man like you did. Luckily in your case, I was a smart and calm person and we eventually fell in love but the same thing won't necessarily happen with Hermione. You do remember the day we met, right?" he asked as a smirk graced his lips when he saw his wife blush.

"Yeah… it was a blind date set up by Molly… I didn't know she was setting me up with a muggle, so you can't blame me! I thought you were a wizard I never met before so I rambled on about the charms and potions I knew…" she moved closer and rested her head on Wendell's shoulder.

"Right and I thought you were insane. I continued the conversation and even tricked you to come with me to a Psychiatrist." He laughed and ruffled her hair which she pouted playfully before starting to laugh as well.

"You were quite sneaky; I bet you would have been in Slytherin if only you were a wizard of a different heritage. You know, I truthfully thought you were a dumb fellow considering how you never knew the spells and just kept asking me questions about which spell would do what" she giggled.

"Turned out, I was smarter than you. It was funny how you reacted when you realized you were going to be sent to a mental hospital. Heck, you even believed the psychiatrist was my dad!" he laughed loudly.

"And I had to show you magic to make you believe I wasn't mental. Do you know how much trouble I had with the ministry?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"How were you in trouble? They wanted to erase my memories! I vowed to them that I won't tell anyone and only then did they leave me be. I can't handle anyone fiddling with my brains. You do know that Hermione has got my brains don't you?" he asked with a smirk.

"How can you even say that? She is barely three years old." She stated.

"Yeah but I know she is smart, she can read a picture book without our help" he said a little bit too proudly.

"I know… but still she is just barely three years old… and I still don't approve sending her to a muggle school." Dr. Granger sighed in frustration.

"Okay, let me reason with you in your way… remember, how you told me that you were very bad at Muggle studies and didn't study the subject for more than a year? And you got an A at the end of year tests?" he asked. She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Well… don't you think if Hermione studies in muggle school, she would have more knowledge about muggle and can get an O which apparently you rarely got." He smirked in satisfaction when he saw his wife pondering after she had hit him lightly in the ribs.

"You're right… but Wendell, what if magic accidents occur in school? She'll be a freak and may even disclose our existence" she saw him furrow his eyebrows and look in the fire place which was connected to the floo network so Jean could come and go to the St. Mungo's. He quietly thought for a while before speaking again.

"You told me muggles off-spring can be magical too. They do go to school, after all their parents don't know about their child's true nature. We can always give it a try Jean, if anything happens, I will allow you to keep Hermione at home and do whatever you feel right. And anyway, it would be a good experience for her before Hogwarts"

Jean sighed and nodded before snuggling with her husband and kissing his forehead. She was very worried about her daughter.

But she needn't worry for Hermione was doing very well at school. She indeed inherited her father's brain who was the best dentist in London. There were some accidents but no one really noticed it was Hermione who did all those. They believed there was a ghost who was doing all the 'accidents' because their school was built above a graveyard and the ghost was not very happy with it. Hermione would always tell her parents and wizard friends about this and laugh. At the age of ten though, she had started controlling her magic a little, even without a wand.

She had a few friends at school, but she was not very close to them. Considering that she and her mother were witches she didn't see it fit to invite them at home in case they discovered their little secret. She did have close friends though they were from wizarding world. She was very close with her cousins James and Harry, who were both twins. Their father, Charlus Potter, and her mother were both real siblings. Charlus was, in his Hogwarts days, very close to his senior Arthur Weasley who was the captain of the Quiddich team when Charlus was in second year and had just joined as a beater. They didn't stop being friends even after Hogwarts, which resulted in both the families to bond. Not only that but Hermione's mother's best friend, Molly had married Arthur. This resulted in Hermione to be friends with the Weasleys as well. She, Harry and Ron were closest to each other and liked to be called the 'Golden Trio'. James was with him from time to time but stayed with the Weasley twins, Fred and George, the most. Percy was at Hogwarts for most of the years so the Potter siblings and Hermione didn't have many interactions with him. Fred and George soon left for Hogwarts and James had to hang around with the 'Golden Trio' until he made friends with Sirius Black whose house he had visited one day for dinner with his family. Since then Sirius often visited the Potter manor and even met Hermione, Ron and Ginny occasionally. Unlike Fred and George who were so alike that people had hard time differentiating them, James and Harry were different in many ways, the main difference being their eyes and personality. Harry was the younger one with emerald eyes and a shy but brave personality. James was more outgoing and mischievous with hazel eyes. Hermione had only one close female friend, Ginny and vice versa so they had gotten quiet close. Hermione helped Ginny with Quiddich sometimes, which only meant cheering, helping to sneak a broom and giving some points she had read in a book.

All in all, everyone was very happy and content.

* * *

Hermione was walking back to home from her school. Her school was many miles ahead, very far from where she lived. She usually took a bus but today she was helping a teacher take the notebooks to her staff room and thus was late to catch the bus. She didn't want to disturb her father by calling him from the school's phone to pick her up. She knew she will reach home by evening while her parents won't be back till nine o'clock. She had homework but she figured she'll do it in the evening. One day's leave from studying won't hurt; she was already ahead of her classes anyway. She walked through the streets and carefully crossed the roads. She was not allowed to go in the subway yet, so she forgot about that particular idea and kept walking.

She was humming to herself softly when she heard a loud wail. She stopped in her tracks and looked around. She could hear someone crying loudly. The sound was coming from a large building to her left. She ran and turned around a corner to find the main gate. As she reached the entrance, the crying got even louder.

_Wool's Orphanage_

She jogged to the side of the building and walked on the garden path to the backside of the building. There was a blonde boy crying loudly and a brunette girl was looking at him with tears in the eyes. She kept glancing at the wall and the dark haired guy behind her. Hermione walked slowly, unsure to the group of kids, many of who seemed her own age.

"W-What happened?" she stuttered as she reached the group. The brunette looked at her and opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it again and pointed to the wall. Hermione turned her head hesitantly. Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips.

There, on the wall, a rabbit was pinned up, completely covered in blood and _dead_.

"H-How did this happen?" she asked in a shrilled high-pitch voice after five minutes staring at the rabbit.

"I-I…don't…"the tears started falling from the girl's eyes. A little girl of no more than six years old walked to the brunette, clutching a teddy bear in one hand, and held the brunette's hand with her free one.

"Riddle" a guy, who looked to be a few years older than Hermione, said darkly.

"What riddle…?" Hermione asked. She could not comprehend what a riddle had to do with a dead, murdered rabbit. No one answered her.

"You're right" another big girl nodded and glared at the dark haired guy who was looking indifferently at the dead rabbit.

Before Hermione could ask anything else, an old women skinny woman ran up to them.

"What's going… what is this?" she gasped loudly. She looked extremely shocked. "Who… who did this?" she meekly asked, gazing at all the children. Then she caught sight of Hermione. "Who are you?" she glared at Hermione.

"Her-Hermione Granger, miss" she clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed down slightly.

"You're wearing a school uniform… you are not from this orphanage, what are you doing here? You did this, didn't you?" she pointed at Hermione with narrowed eyes. Hermione's eyes widened.

"N-no miss… I was just–"

"She just arrived, Mrs. Cole, she must have heard John crying from outside…" the big boy said. Hermione sighed in relief when Mrs. Cole nodded.

"Don't ever come here again, do you hear me? Leave, now!" Mrs. Cole yelled at her. She nodded lightly. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She had never been scolded before, mostly because she never made any big mistakes to be scolded and she was just ten year old. Is it wrong if you want to help someone who was crying? She just came so that she could comfort and help. Isn't that what her parents did?

Suddenly, the tap attached to the side of the wall burst and a large amount of water was flowing from it.

_Merlin! Not another accident!_ She thought to herself.

"Holy Virgin" Mrs. Cole yelled in frustration and searched for something to block the water. When she didn't find anything, she asked the kids to run and bring buckets. Many of them went inside, only a few were still standing there. "Move inside! And you girl, go where you belong!" she yelled and walked back inside the orphanage muttering under her breath about a plumber and money.

"John… let's go inside…" the brunette whispered and pulled the crying boy inside the orphanage. Hermione hiccupped and started crying. The dark haired guy stared at her.

"Leave" he said in a low voice. Hermione nodded before turning on her heels and running all the way home.


	2. Chapter 2

**KIDNAP**

**Disclaimer:**** Tom and Hermione would have already been married by now if I owned the series.**

**Thanks to all who took the time to review, favorite, alert and read the first chapter. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you. Don't forget to write a review to tell me your thoughts on the story. Any questions, suggestions, critical review or even one-word review, or in short any kind of review is appreciated. Now enough of chatting, let's get back to the story.**

(!)!)()(!(!)

"Harry… I was wondering if I should sneak into the orphanage…" Hermione whispered, uncertainly gazing at Harry from under her eyelashes. She sat against the couch with her knees bent and her chin resting between them. She was tightly hugging her legs.

Harry opened his mouth to reply but Sirius beat him to it.

"That'd be a great idea! How about we all come along?" Sirius interrupted, as he walked out of the kitchen carrying milk and cookies. Hermione scowled.

"Who asked _you_?" she glared at Sirius. He grinned and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut, princess" he winked at her and strolled to the couch and sat down leisurely. Hermione groaned rather loudly.

Harry decided to speak but was beat up to it again.

"I didn't even invite you!" Hermione stated still glaring at Sirius.

"So I crashed your little party" Sirius smirked. If possible, Hermione's glare intensified.

"I hate you" she stated outwardly.

"I love you too shortcake" he laughed as her expression darkened. Oh how he loved riling her up!

There was a moment of silence and Harry, relieved that no one will speak, decided it was finally his turn and parted his lips but _again_ someone just had to interrupt!

"Don't mind him, sis. When James is here, there's nothing to fear" James arrogantly spoke up and went to sit next to Sirius, having finally completed with Hermione's Nintendo, which she had so generously bought for him on his birthday with her own pocket money. He just simply adored his sister! She just always knew how to cheer him up. Too bad electronics didn't work in the Wizarding world.

"You've been here long enough, and did nothing but bring your friend along!" she glared at him quite half-heartedly if it is ever compared to the glare which she has specifically reserved for Sirius Black.

James just shrugged and smiled cheekily but attacking the cookies. His aunt was the best cook in the world! And that's something to say considering his mother and Molly Weasley.

Harry was getting frustrated now. He will speak! And thus, with the will made, he opened his mouth.

But, surprise, surprise, he was interrupted again!

Though this time the interruption was different, it was not the continuous blabbering of his siblings and friend, but his other friends coming out of the green flames in the fireplace. Whenever this happened, everyone would stop everything they were doing to look at the fireplace in awe. Well of course, except Hermione. She was already used to her mother coming and going through floo network. His aunt, or her mother, was scared of apparition and preferred to 'keep her body intact'… whatever "intact" meant. He will ask Hermione later.

Ron and Ginny stepped out of the fireplace, each holding a hand of their mother who let go of them and gave a hug each to us all. She gave an extra warm hug to Hermione, having heard about the rabbit from his mother. _Whoever did that to that rabbit must be put into jail or worse, Azkaban!_ Harry thought furiously. Hermione had come over to the Potter manor yesterday evening and cried for what seemed like hours in James and his arms while Sirius stroked her hair rather awkwardly. He wasn't used to comforting her or anyone for the matter. But it was Sirius, Harry noted quite observantly, who had at last cheered her up.

"_Little shortcake, I just noticed, your hair becomes… oh I don't know the right word for it…messy? Yeah, they become even more messy when you cry like a banshee! My head and eyes are hurting!" Sirius shut his eyes tightly and clasped his hands against both of his ears. Hermione turned her head away from Harry's chest and looked at Sirius, seemingly getting infuriated._

"_You are so heartless! A rabbit was murdered and hanged on the wall! And you…!" she started crying again._

"_What rabbit?" James jumped in._

"_I…I was coming back home… when I heard a cry…" and she told them everything that happened in the orphanage, even about Mrs. Cole scolding her and thinking she was the culprit or as Hermione said 'murderer'._

_One would have expected Sirius to look down and say that he was sorry and he didn't know. But of course, Sirius was anything but predictable._

"_That's all? Come on Hermione, you eat chicken, and you are horrified at seeing a rabbit? You know chicken is being killed too when you eat it" Sirius stated, looking serious (no pun intended) for the first time. _

"_B-But… Harry… I am not eating chicken anymore" she looked at Harry seriously who sighed and cradled her in his arms._

"_See, you have done murder yourself, so no need to cry. We all are murderers!" Sirius grinned. This just caused Hermione to cry more. Sirius grin dropped and he looked at James and Harry for help._

"_Hermione don't mind Sirius. He is a buffoon!" James glared half-heartedly at his best friend. Hermione chuckled between her cries._

"_Hermione look around!" Sirius called before jumping around from one leg to another with his elbows bend and hands flailing under his arms. He adopted a grumpy expression. "See princess, guess who I am?" he asked with mirth visible in his eyes as Hermione stopped crying for a bit to look at him. James joined his best friend, finally understanding what he was up to._

"_A monkey!" Hermione exclaimed before laughing loudly as monkey Sirius decided that monkey James was not a monkey but a banana and ran for his banana James who took a run for his life. Harry jumped in, representing a monkey as well and both Harry and Sirius attacked James who dramatically screamed for help while Hermione rolled over in laughter, tears of grief now replaced by the tears of pure joy._

_That time too, Harry didn't get the chance to speak._

Molly didn't stay for long. She had brought the children some refreshments and after delivering them she was off to the Burrow.

"Sho Herrmeone, whasht uhp?" Ron spoke with food splattering around everyone in close proximity to him. Hermione gave him a disgusted look before picking up her sandwich and ignoring him completely.

"Harry…" she gave him a pleading look. "Should I go?" she asked softly.

_Now was his turn!_

"Where Hermione…?" Ginny asked.

_Damn it!_

"The orphanage" Hermione answered.

"Why would you go there?" Ron asked once he had gulped down his food. They were all sitting on the dining table which was big enough to fit all six children.

"To investigate, of course…!" she replied.

"Hermione, I don't think you should do this" Ginny put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. Ginny was sitting to Hermione's left and Sirius' right. Harry was sitting on the right side of Hermione across Ron which James sat across Sirius.

"I think she should" Sirius butted in.

"But I'll come along!" James spoke before anyone else could.

"If Sirius says so…" Hermione looked at her plate as if in thought. Sirius grinned cheekily.

"Thanks Hermione!" he barked.

"…I really think it'll be a bad idea" she continued. Everyone laughed except for Sirius of course.

"Very funny" Sirius muttered dryly. Hermione grinned.

"I will keep out of it though" Ron said when the laughter had died down.

"Her-"Harry decided to speak but… was interrupted.

"'Mione, if you need anything for your mission then you can always ask me or Sirius" James exclaimed.

Oh, Harry had had enough!

"Just listen to me you all!" he yelled. Everyone was now looking at him. Some even jumped in surprise. He blushed. _How embarrassing…_

"Um… sorry… I… Hermione I don't think it's a good idea to go. You might get in trouble. Whoever killed the rabbit might be too dangerous and might not think twice before hurting you!" he said in haste.

There was a silence for one minute before slowly everyone agreed and told Hermione not to go, since they did not have any wand either.

(!)!)()(!(!)

Hermione was walking home again on a Wednesday. Just day before yesterday she had seen the rabbit and she had made up her mind to go in there again. She wondered if she will be welcomed... of course not…

Mrs. Cole had been very angry with her, and what if someone complained about her? She'll have to be careful to not get caught but then how will she know who killed the rabbit if she didn't ask anyone about it? It's not like she knew everyone in the orphanage.

Hermione sighed and decided not to ponder on it anymore. She'll just have to be like her brothers and Sirius for once. If she isn't going to be brave, she won't be put in Gryffindor and she was sure that Harry and James will be in that very house. Sirius, she believe, would end up in either Slytherin or Gryffindor. Considering his family's reputation, he is surely going to be in Slytherin but otherwise she thought of him as a good example of a Gryffindor.

_Here I am…_ She thought as she stood at the entrance of the orphanage.

Taking the same path as before, she got to the back garden of the orphanage. Thankfully, there were no windows or any entrance gates along that way, and thankfully no one was around too. _Good._

The tap was fixed by now. She really felt sorry for doing accidental magic… they had to pay the loss.

_At least Mrs. Cole and everyone went away because of this…_

_No, Hermione, don't you think that way! Do you want to end up in Slytherin?_

She heard a hissing sound. Was there a snake? She looked around and walked a little further. In a distance, he saw the same dark haired guy who had told her to leave. He was sitting alone… with a snake resting on his feet.

_Was he talking to the snake? No that's impossible… I can't believe someone can talk in a snake language..._

She hid behind a big plant and stared at the guy. His expression was indifferent and she wondered if he had killed the rabbit. He certainly seemed the type who would kill someone.

_No Hermione, you haven't investigated completely. You don't even know this guy! Mom always says not to judge people from first sight. He might not be evil but a really good person._

_What kind of 'good person' talks to snakes?_

_And how many people do you know who speak to snakes to come to that judgment?_

_None at all… is he even speaking to the snake? I am not sure… I'll need to go a bit closure to make sure._

_But you'll get caught!_

Sighing, she tiptoed towards the back entrance but froze when she heard a voice, not far from her.

"Where is Riddle?" someone asked.

"Must be killing another person's pet" another one said. Hermione quickly dashed behind the plant and crouched down to stay hidden.

_So Riddle is not a riddle but a name… and apparently he killed the rabbit. But who is Riddle? Oh he is such a riddle!_

She giggled quietly on her own joke.

"Thank God, I don't have a pet then" the first one said.

"He can get to you in other ways too" it was the second one. She couldn't see them clearly but could tell that one had dark brown hair and the other one had a dirty blonde color.

"I'll keep out of his way…"

"Hey do you hear that?"

Hermione stiffened. Did they hear her breathe?

"What?"

"There is a snake… can you hear the hissing?"

The other one got out of the room and looked around. Hermione closed her eyes tightly and stopped breathing.

"Hey there is Riddle!" Her eyes bulged open. She slowly moved forward to take a peek from behind the plant.

"What is he doing there? And there's a snake! Come one let's call Mrs. Cole!" and the two boys were gone.

_So it was that guy! He is Riddle. I knew it! He looked evil!_

Suddenly Riddle stood up and the snake slithered towards her. She stiffened. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping she could just apparate without anyone noticing. She felt something around her legs and a hissing sound. Soon the snake, as she assumed, slithered away from her legs. She opened her eyes and gasped. She was standing face to face with the murdered himself!

"What are you doing here?" he asked dangerously. She shivered under his glare.

"I…I…" she stuttered and scolded herself inwardly for looking so weak.

"Came to look at the rabbit again?" he asked in the same indifferent tone.

"N-no… I… uh…" What was she supposed to say? He was a bloody murderer! Hermione, you need to run! Oh Merlin, why, why didn't she listen to Harry?

He didn't speak anything but kept looking at her darkly. A few minutes passed by with none of them breaking the eye contact. Even though Hermione was a bit scared right now, she wasn't going to lose, he looked about her age and for Merlin's sake, she was a witch… without a wand maybe, but a witch none the less.

"Riddle…!" It was Mrs. Cole's voice. Hermione recognized it easily. Riddle looked towards to door in almost panic. _At least he showed some emotion! _ She thought.

He suddenly caught hold of her arms and slammed her against the wall. She groaned but suddenly there was something pressed against her mouth. She opened her eyes and almost squeaked. Riddle was merely centimeters away from her with his palm pressed against her mouth. In the closeness, she noticed, his eyes were the color of pitch black.

Her breath caught in here throat as she noticed that his body was pressed tight against hers.

"Dave, Ronny, where is Tom?" Mrs. Cole yelled at the two boys. Hermione tried to turn her face but Riddle was stronger than her.

"I… I don't know miss, he was there! He was talking to a snake!" one of the boys explained.

"Talking to snakes? That's ridiculous! You guys…! Oh my head is hurting! Now for your punishment…" she trailed of as she entered the orphanage back with the boys trailing behind her. Riddle still didn't pull away. With what seemed like a minute or two, he slowly got off of her and released her mouth. She exhaled and took a deep breath in.

"If you don't go, you'll just end up being punished like those two" he said in a very low voice than Hermione had to lean in to hear him.

She didn't know just how she suddenly got the courage but with all her will she spoke.

"You killed the rabbit!" she exclaimed angrily as she glared back.

(!)!)()(!(!)

**So, what do you think will happen? As we know Riddle can make bad things happen to people who anger him. What will happen to Hermione? Will she find out that he is the heir of Slytherin? Will this be their last meeting? Are they going to become friends? Or will they be arch-enemies?**


	3. Chapter 3

"The Patronus charm can be used to send messages to the team members along with wielding against the Demeantors. The incantation is 'Expecto Patronus' and the wand moment is as known. I want you all to practice sending messages seeing that we all know how to make a Patronus already. Riddle is moving at a fast pace as compared to us and could out do us all in one go which is clearly our biggest problem at hand. If we cannot learn to defend ourselves against him and increase our vocabulary when it comes to magic then we won't be able to work for the 'Greater Good' like our role model believes everything should be done. Mr. 'I am Lord Voldemort' is quite capable of taking over the world if he so wishes which we must prevent at all costs. I believe he won't risk anything at the moment, after all he does not wish to be expelled out and be thrown back to the orphanage of his…"

Many people snickered. The speaker gave them a warning look which quieted them all and continued.

"The first thing that everyone present here should learn is never to ridicule the opponent! I have dueled Riddle and he is more than just capable! You don't wish to be the one on his wand's end!" she scolded.

"Take it easy, Mione! You are behaving stricter than Minerva! Nothing is going to come of it if you stay on the edge all the time" a man with tousled curly black hair mocked.

"I am not being on the edge Sirius! It is a serious matter! And no, don't you dare make a pun out of it!" she added quickly when she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes and glared at him with her arms crossed.

"Calm down kitten! Sure this is a serious matter like you claim it to be but let the kids have some fun! No one can produce a Patronus without happiness which you are depriving everyone of" Sirius stated calmly.

"_I_ am depriving you all of happiness? All I am doing here is making sure that Riddle doesn't destroy the future!" Hermione's voice grew a pitch higher as she made her way towards him, her posture never changing.

"Maybe, but you are destroying the present!" he whined, pointing his finger at her accusingly.

"Sirius is right Hermione" James butt in. "If Riddle ever so makes a move in the future, Dumbledore and the Aurors are always there"

"And Dumbledore is much more powerful than Riddle is, you surely don't think otherwise" Ron taunted.

"I am sorry Mione but for once Ron is speaking the truth" Ginny took a step back as soon as her friend's fiery gaze fell on her.

"But Riddle is powerful and highly manipulative! Haven't you heard anything everyone has been saying? Riddle is the most intelligent student Hogwarts has ever had ever since Dumbledore set foot in this academy!" she countered.

"And no one has said that he can beat Dumbledore!" Harry bit back irritably.

"Of course he can't beat Dumbledore!" Hermione replied aghast at the thought of ever thinking otherwise.

"Then that's it Hermione! Dumbledore can take care of him if he takes a step on the wrong shore" Sirius barked.

"He has already stepped on the wrong 'shore' and I don't see him being sent to Azkaban!" she replied icily.

"Goddamn Hermione, all he does is bark and no bite!" James burst out.

"James calm down" Remus said, sharply turning to his friend.

"Yup, his threats are always empty! Don't you agree Peter?" Ron turned to the short blonde boy who was hiding behind Ginny who held to his hand tightly.

"Y-yes…" he stuttered.

"Fine, do as you want! But I'll make sure that the murderer must be sent to rot behind the bars!" she yelled and stomped out of the Room of Requirement, closing the door with a loud bang.

The teenagers left inside the room all sighed in unison quite audibly, most with exhaustion prevalent, some with frustration and one with unhidden relief.

They all looked at each other and cracked a small smile.

"Hermione has got excessively obsessed with Riddle." Sirius was the first to break the silence filled air.

"I wouldn't blame her… he is quite suspicious" Remus said seriously.

"I don't see any threat with him though" Ginny offered.

"Same here with all of us… he is just weird…" James rubbed the back of his head in deep thought.

"I think she is just holding a grudge to when Riddle killed the rabbit all these years ago…" Harry suggested. "I don't find him odd at all, sure he is a Slytherin… but then again, he certainly seems ambitious, and why otherwise would he work so hard?"

"I agree with you mate… but she shouldn't hold it onto him for accidental magic! He is a Slytherin fellow but unlike the lot!" Ron blew up.

"Maybe she secretly likes him…?" Peter spoke up in a tiny voice. Everyone's head turned sharply towards him, so sharply that you could even hear the crack they made.

Sirius snorted and slowly started laughing loudly.

"That… doesn't seem probable..." Remus muttered seemingly in deep thought.

"Actually… it is quite possible. Don't look at me like that Sirius! Killing a rabbit is, even though with accidental magic, against Hermione's morals. These morals of her might be fighting against her crush on him! I mean he is definitely her type of guy! He is a genius even more so than Hermione if you want to believe; he can hold intelligent debates with her and can teach her quite a lot about things she doesn't already know about. He is handsome too, oh no… that would be understatement of the millinia. He is the yummiest guy to ever walk this planet! And you know our Hermione has a weakness for handsome smiles. What? Don't make faces! It's true!" she chuckled at the disgusted faces of the boys.

"What are we to do about it then?" Ron asked bitterly.

"How about we help her realize that she likes him…?" Peter suggested looking around nervously.

"Oh my Merlin, you're an absolute genius Peter!" she kissed Peter fully on lips and grinned at everyone. "We should do just that!" she looked at the glaring faces of the boys and turned to the red and fainted Peter with satisfaction.

She'll make sure Hermione falls for Riddle, hard.

She giggled and skipped out of the Room of Requirement gaily without hearing any other opinions.

***Swish and Flick***

Hermione sat in the History of Magic class thinking of a plan to get rid of the black haired specimen sitting right in front of her. She was glaring darkly at the neatly done hair. It was their last class of the day and his hair remained the same as they were always –neat and orderly, always in his control, so unlike hers which were obviously untamable.

She heard a giggle come from the seat next to hers and turned her head to find Lavender giggling incessantly.

"What is it?" she snapped. She was in a very bad mood as it was and was clearly upset with her friends for not seeing the truth, she did not need to be around any silly school girl behavior either to make her day worse.

"Nothing, just remembering Peter's reaction…" she chuckled.

"Peter's reaction to what exactly?" she inquired playing with her quill. She had taken only a few notes, that too in the starting of the class until Riddle had answered a question and she had realized he was sitting right in front of her. How could she have missed his overly neat form?

"Ginny kissing him" Parvati, who was sitting on the other side of Lavender, replied nonchalantly. She lost the balance over her quill and it flew from her hand over to Riddle's head.

'Oh Merlin! She can't have actually kissed him! Him of all people! Wait… my quill… well… at least his hairs are no longer neat…' she thought snorting to self and momentarily forgetting what Lavender and Parvati had said.

"What is it Miss Granger?" Riddle asked politely as he turned to look at the girl occupying the seat behind him.

"Nothing at all, Mr. Riddle, the quill just seemed to have slipped from my fingers" she replied overly sugaring her words so that she didn't seem genuine and more so annoyed. Riddle merely raised his eyebrows and politely held out the quill to Hermione with a small smile. Well that's what the others saw it for but as for Hermione...

That evil git had the nerve to smirk at her! She huffed and snatched her quill out of his hand. She saw something weird go off in his eyes as she took the quill. Surely he was planning something... She narrowed her eyes at him, looking him straight in the eyes, challenging him to do something in a crowded class silently. He stared back at her, not planning on losing her challenge for a mere microsecond.

'Surely you can do better than childishly throwing a quill Hermione' he mocked her inside her mind. Her eyes widened and his triumph grew.

'Get out of my head!' she growled in her mind, trying to raise some occlumency shields and push him away, but all in vain. She hadn't thought to ever practice this particular art of defense, seeing whatsoever no use for it, but she was determined to learn this skill. Right now, the mission was to push Riddle out!

'Now, what's the fun in that?' he asked dryly, almost rolling his eyes. She had no idea what he was replying to, her internal reasoning or her order. 'Both Granger, and know this, no one orders me around!' he looked at her darkly.

She merely glared at him. Their battle raged on silently, no one uttering or thinking a single letter let alone a sentence. Parvati and Lavender were back to their giggling again, making up a new rumor about one Hermione Granger and Tom Riddle like they had once made on Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley, about which the latter was beyond furious, but nothing, not even a dinosaur, could have come between their battle except for-

The bell rang as every student in the room woke up from their stupor while some like Parvati and Lavender hopped to meet their other friends to share their newly invented gossip.

Both Tom and Hermione looked away at the same time, their challenge ending in a tie. As the latter packed their bags the former came up close and without warning started helping with the task, seeming to naked eye, a perfect gentlemen helping a lady with quite a heavy bag.

"Meet me in the astronomy tower. We have some unfinished _business_ to complete" he whispered in a low suggestive voice with an undertone of some officer ready to punish the prisoner in question which only Hermione noticed due to their sudden close proximity.

Hermione didn't deem him with an answer and instead packed her things –with his help –and marched out of the classroom.

"Hermione, wait for us!" Sirius shouted from the other end of the classroom but she was already gone. Tom took no notice of him either and walked out of the class himself. Sirius sighed. "You don't think she'll stay angry with me for long?" he asked his chestnut haired friend.

"Try and talk to her. You know she always forgives you in the end" his mate replied.

"True Remus, but I don't know why I feel as though this time it's going to be different… I hope it's different in a good way if it is" he muttered before picking up his satchel and walking to the door. "Come on mate, what are you waiting for?" he looked around when he noticed Remus hadn't moved from his place. The class was almost empty except for a selected few. James and Harry had been the first to run out. They were incharge of seeing to the tryouts for a chaser and a beater, therefore not waiting for either Sirius, Remus or Hermione.

"I was wondering if she is right about Riddle… even Dumbledore seems vary of him" he said doubtfully.

"Don't be ludicrous! I tell you Riddle is not a threat. That guy helped me once and I know he is no evil. He is just a teacher's pet and a Slytherin in always manipulating the teachers to get what he wants. Now stop the worrying or I'm not going to accompany you on your furry problem day!" Sirius threatened as he dragged his friend out of the class.

***swish and flick***

"Thank you Professor!" Ginny grinned widely.

"Not at all, little one. I can do anything for the happiness of my favorite students!" he smiled fondly at the red head.

"I am sure Riddle and Hermione will appreciate it too!" She replied enthusiastically.

"You have my entire blessings dear child" Slughorn patted her head. This girl, even though not so bright at Potions as many of his other favorite students, was like a daughter he never had. He behaved like a father figure to her and was as protective of her as a normal father would be. And due to this protectiveness, Slughorn utterly hated Harry Potter, the boy who had stolen his little rose bud's heart and did not seem to want to give anything in return. He absolutely loathed Harry Potter, who so casually drooled at a Ravenclaw unabashed. Using this game Ginny had requested and playing it with some of his own rules, he will make sure that the Potter mentioned, shall suffer.

***swish and flick***

**I could have written more but I am in no mood whatsoever. I'll try to update the next chapter fast but I cannot guarantee anything. We have exams and mock tests almost every day and I am lagging behind on homework. I hope this chapter satisfies the readers. I would surely love to read and reply your feedbacks if you could be so kindly as to leave behind a review. Be free to criticize, I wouldn't mind as long as you are polite in doing so.**

**Guest: Thank you! I am very glad to read that and don't worry, I won't leave this story incomplete. Even if I die, I'll find a way to resurrect myself just to complete this!**

**By the way, I would absolutely love to read everyone's guesses on the 'unfinished business' (wink).**

**Thanks to all who reviewed, alerted and favorite this story!**

**Keep reading and reviewing!**


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